Whatever Happened to Commander Jule?
by Knightess Silver
Summary: Yzak is declared MIA in battle and Dearka is under suspicion. Dearka knows Yzak has been abducted but for what purpose? It's the new mission of the Eternal to find him and bring his abductors to justice. But what if Yzak has become one of them? /DROPPED/
1. In Control

_DISCLAIMER: If they _were _mine, then Yzak and Dearka would have an entire Gundam Seed series dedicated to them. BANDAI has that privilege._

* * *

**Phase 01: In Control  
**

"Sir, we've lost contact with the Elthman Squad!" called one of the technicians from the lower bridge of the Voltaire. "Communication is completely jammed!"

"Shit!" Yzak Jule whirled around, his platinum locks and white uniform fanning out behind him as he leapt towards the lift. He gripped the top of the doorway and pulled himself inside.

"Sir?" asked the Captain, barely glancing over his shoulder from where he stood on the upper bridge. He had become accustomed to the teen Commander's recklessness, especially when it involved a certain blond Major.

"I'm going out!" Yzak snapped, the lift door wiping out any further discussion.

Suited and helmet locked in place, Yzak kicked off the railing of the observation platform and floated towards his white GOUF Ignited. A technician gripped his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Sir," the technician's voice hissed over the internal link. "There's a problem with the launch stage of your unit. If you're going out there, you'll have to take one of the ZAKUs."

"Rack off!" yelled Yzak, almost deafening himself inside his helmet. He kicked the technician away, effectively launching himself towards a vacant Slash ZAKU Warrior. It was one of the green churn-out machines with dual rail guns fused to its shoulders. It was also the closest thing to his older Slash ZAKU Phantom, undergoing maintenance back at PLANT. Yzak knew he should have insisted on having both of his units on his ship, but they weren't. The pathetic green churn-out would just have to do.

Inside the cockpit, he secured his harness with a click and pulled the controls toward himself. His left hand moved a series of levers in rhythmic time with his right as his fingers dashed over keys, punched buttons, and flipped switches. The cockpit doors closed shut and the ZAKU Warrior shifted onto the launching platform. The bay doors parted and the Mobile Suit stepped out into the head of the glittering linear catapult.

"Jule Squadron, Yzak Jule, Warrior, LAUNCH!"

The ZAKU was thrust into space.

* * *

Two more units exploded into fuchsia clouds. The black Blaze ZAKU Phantom dodged laser fire from behind as a third mobile suit appeared. The pirates were getting smarter and swifter in their pillaged units, now attacking in teams. Each of their mobile suits was a mish-mash of pieces from destroyed units – an OMNI Dagger with the legs of a ZAFT Dinn mounted with the Slash ZAKU's twin Gatling beam cannons, for example – and all were painted black with red markings in the colours of the pirate fleets. Despite the freakish alterations these units had undergone, their pilots had learnt to wield them almost better than any production line model. This fact scared Dearka Elthman. 

"Dammit, where the hell are they coming from?" he whined to himself, as he took out the third attacker with a barrage of missiles. It disappeared in a blast of pink. Dearka was guiding his ZAKU to help a group of friendlies when the flares of retreat rose from the pirate mother ship – a custom built carrier. Dearka stared in confusion at the returning enemy units that zipped past his monitor. Again, the retreat flares lit up the black of space but this time they came from the Voltaire.

"Damn," Dearka muttered. The Blaze ZAKU Phantom turned and joined the trail of ZAKUs and other friendly units returning to the Voltaire. Dearka flipped his radio switch a few times but still only managed to get static. He shrugged, put his ZAKU in autopilot, and let his mind wander to the floating graveyard around him.

The site of the last war, which had ended over six months ago, was still littered with the charred debris of mobile suits and warships from both sides. ZAFT and Orb were sharing the responsibility of the cleanup through a jointly run program, whereby citizens from both sides worked together to delicately clear away the destroyed units, and inform families of their losses. However, the crew couldn't work around the clock, giving pirates the chance to dive in and gorge themselves. Well, not if the ZAFT Nazca fleets such as the Jule Squad could help it.

Movement between chunks of debris caught Dearka's attention. He zoomed his visual sensors on the area and waited for another gap in the drifting rubble. His sensors picked up a friendly ZAKU, a green Warrior model. It was relatively undamaged, just disabled, and was being swarmed by pirate units. Dearka realised that the cockpit of the ZAKU was intact. The pilot was still inside.

"Hey!" Dearka called over the radio, but was immediately deafened by a rush of static. Switching to manual, he manoeuvred his Blaze ZAKU towards the area and fired upon the pirates. He took out three units, but a fourth was too close to the friendly ZAKU for him to fire.

"Argh!" Dearka cried as he was slammed from behind. The force of the blow threw him forward, winding him. He tried to turn on his surprise attacker, but was suddenly surrounded. Two blows from the front smashed his cockpit doors in. He snatched his hands away from the control panel as sparks flew. He was rammed again from behind. This time the control panel was too far forward for his harness to safely hold him back. Dearka's head smashed against the panel, cracking the front glass of his helmet. Blood streamed down his face and his vision blurred. Dearka lost consciousness.

When the Blaze ZAKU Phantom fell silent, the pirate units withdrew slightly, forming a loose circle around it. Other units, including a passenger carrier of an old ZAFT design but painted black, surrounded the green ZAKU Warrior they had captured before the interruption. Pilots in dark flight suits opened the ZAKU Warrior's cockpit with a hiss. The white-suited pilot from within burst free and fired his gun in rapid succession, killing two of the enemy pilots. He was quickly outnumbered and apprehended from behind, the gun pried free and his arms twisted behind his back. An injection gun was pushed against his neck and fired. In an instant, the needle tip penetrated his suit and his skin, and injected its contents into his neck.

In less than a minute, the pilot was unconscious. A patch was sealed over the hole in his suit, and he was guided to the carrier.

* * *

_"Dearka."_

"Yzak!" Dearka bolted upright and frantically looked about him – he was in a ZAFT ship, maybe the Voltaire. Dearka groaned and put a hand to his temple as the room began to spin. He tried shutting his eyes, but it only made the feeling worse.

"Woah, take it easy," said a feminine voice. Dearka felt hands on his shoulders, gently urging him back down. He complied, lying flat on the bunk. After a moment, his headache was gone and the world was still. He recognised the doctor of the Voltaire staring down at him, a worried look on her face as she removed his hand and looked over his forehead.

"You took a nasty knock," she said. "It's good thing there was someone in the area to bring you in, or you mightn't have made it." The doctor turned to her trolley of medical supplies and retrieved two capsules and a sipper of water from the top shelf.

"Now, sit up slowly and take these," she said, holding them out for Dearka.

"What are they for?" he asked, as he carefully pushed himself up.

"These should cure the headaches, but you've still got a slight concussion so you should take it easy."

Dearka took the pills and emptied the sipper, before swinging his legs over the edge of the bunk.

"Sorry, Doc," he said, standing, though a little shaky on his feet. "I need to get to the bridge."

The doctor was about to urge Dearka back down, but he pushed her hands away. Used to the brash, stubborn, and often thick-skulled, military types, and knowing Dearka as a classic example, the young doctor gave up with a sigh. Instead of protesting, she leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "Why the urgency? We're already heading to the next area."

Dearka grabbed his uniform from a nearby table. He pulled up his dark slacks and fastened them before slipping into the black military issue jacket that dipped over his knees. Running his hands down his chest, he clipped shut the concealed clasps of his jacket. He tilted his head back as he closed the stiff collar over his throat.

"Something's not right," he finally replied, pulling his white boots up his thighs. "I have to find out what it is."

The doctor stood and approached Dearka – she was slightly taller than him at full height. She reached up and refastened the bandages around his head, making sure they were secure. "Go take a look, make sure everything is okay, then get some rest, or come back and see me if you're not feeling any better."

"Thanks," Dearka replied with a nod, before moving to the door. It slid aside with a 'whoosh' and he launched himself out of the infirmary.

Dearka floated onto the upper bridge of the Voltaire, as the lift door slid closed behind him. His eyes scanned the entire upper and lower bridges as he came to land beside the Captain.

"Where's Yzak?" asked Dearka. He'd never known Yzak to leave the bridge in the middle of a battle unless he was going to the frontlines, yet he hadn't seemed to ever consider pirates worth the effort.

"Major," the Captain greeted. "Commander Jule was registered as returning to the ship with you. We assumed he was also in the infirmary."

"He went out?"

"Scans were showing that the Elthman Squad was outnumbered. We were trying to send you various battle strategies but we were being jammed. As soon as we lost all contact with you, the Commander went out on his own."

Dearka was confused. "But I didn't see Yzak's GOUF out there."

The Captain had already lost interest in the subject, turning his attention back to the main viewer. His tone was edging on frustration when he replied. "There was a malfunction with the staging area or something. He took one of the spare ZAKUs out instead. It's undergoing repairs as we speak."

"A ZAKU!?" Dearka's mind rushed back to the battle.

_His sensors picked up a friendly ZAKU, a green Warrior model. It was relatively undamaged, just disabled, and was being swarmed by pirate units. Dearka realised that the cockpit of the ZAKU was intact. The pilot was still inside._

Dearka snapped out of his thoughts. He grabbed an earpiece from one of the control panels, and pushed it into his ear. "Engines all stop. That's an order."

"Sir?" asked the pilot. The other technicians around the bridge had also turned to look up at the Major. It was rare that he was left in charge of the ship, let alone took control of a situation.

"Do it," affirmed the Captain. With a quick affirmation, the Voltaire ceased its course. "Major Elthman, you'd better have an explanation for this."

Dearka nodded. "I have reason to believe that Commander Jule is no longer aboard this ship."

"But he's registered as returning – even the ZAKU returned, disabled but mostly undamaged. I told you, it's–"

Dearka cut him off. "Well he's not here and he's not in the infirmary, so where the hell is he!?"

No one had an answer to that. The Captain could only stare blankly at Dearka.

"Right," said Dearka. "I'm taking command of the Voltaire."

He turned to the communications officer. "Have we got communications back yet?"

"Yes, Sir," she replied.

"Have two security teams meet me on the lower deck. We're going to do a ship-wide search. If we don't turn up anything in an hour, contact PLANT and have them send re-enforcements to our current position."

Dearka leapt past the strategy table and towards the lift. The door slid open. "Keep in constant contact with the teams via private channel. I don't want the fact that we're missing our Commander broadcast all over the ship, or to anyone else out there who might be listening."

"Understood," replied the Captain, as the lift swallowed Dearka. When the Captain turned back to the bridges, the entire crew was staring up at him.

"I know how you all feel about Major Elthman," he said, addressing their unvoiced concerns. "However, both former and current Chairpersons, and even the Commander himself have had enough confidence in Major Elthman to allow him the authority and position he currently holds. We have to follow his orders until either the Commander returns or we're given further instructions from PLANT.

"Now, in addition to Major Elthman's orders, I'll ask that Communications notifies PLANT of our current situation via coded frequency, but don't ask for re-enforcements until the Major's specified time."

The communications officer punched a few buttons on her console. "Done, Sir."

"Open a link to Major Elthman's private frequency."

"Yes, Sir."

The remaining bridge crew glanced uneasily at each other, but returned to their duties.

* * *

"Bridge, this is Elthman. Can you hear me?" said Dearka, pushing a finger against the button of the earpiece he had acquired from the bridge. He was accompanied by another eight crewmembers – all green coats. 

"Loud and clear, Sir," replied the communications officer, her voice sounding hollow but clear against Dearka's eardrum.

"Good." Dearka turned to the other crewmembers who were also wearing earpieces. He indicated to those closest to him. "You three come with me. Hayes, take everyone else and re-check the infirmary, then go to the hangers. Make sure you check out the ZAKU that brought me here. My team'll go to the recreational rooms, and then both teams will meet at the personnel quarters."

With quick acknowledgements, the group split into two and followed the curve of the corridor in opposite directions.

* * *

Dearka's team swept through the refectory, recreational halls, and training facilities without any sign of the ship's commander. The second team reported similar luck. With those areas cleared, Dearka ordered the teams to the level assigned to the crew's quarters. Dearka reasoned that if Yzak _were_ still aboard, his captor would have been forced to retreat into quarters by now. The search team split into four groups to quickly cover the various personnel sections. 

Dearka, accompanied by a technician named Tains, went straight to the Command section of the level, which housed both his own and Yzak's quarters. Stopping in front of Yzak's door, Dearka pushed the intercom button, but even as he did so, he pulled out his own personal access card. He waited briefly for a reply. When none came, he swiped his access card and the door to Yzak's quarters whooshed aside. From behind him, Tains stared at Dearka dumbfounded.

"Instead of gawking at me why don't you check the quarters in this section? Start with mine if you want – room 328, around the corner," suggested Dearka, barely concealing his annoyance as he held up the spare key card to his quarters. "I'll meet you there."

Tains didn't move.

"Go!" Dearka growled. His rare burst of anger jerked Tains out of his daze. He took the card from Dearka with a startled, "Yes Sir," and hurried down the passageway. His mind returning to the task at hand, Dearka stepped cautiously into Yzak's room. The lights came on as he entered.

The main room looked the same as it as always did – clean, formal, bare except for the few files that were piled up beside the monitor on the workstation. Even the chair at the workstation was pushed in. Behind it, in the far corner of the room, the double bed was neatly made, the sheets crinkled slightly from urgency. Dearka moved around the corner to the small bathroom. He nearly rolled his eyes at the sight of the lowered toilet seat, but continued his inspection of the shower cubicle. He smirked when his gaze fell upon the sink. A familiar coffee mug, filled with water, was blocking the drain. Yzak's habit of late night cups of tea and early morning coffees often meant that his mug would spend the night in the nearest sink – why take the trip to the kitchen when he was going to go the next morning anyway? It used to annoy Dearka when they were sharing quarters during their earlier days in ZAFT – where was he supposed to brush his teeth with Yzak's prized cup hogging the sink? – but now it felt like a small comfort in all the chaos.

"You don't change at all, do you, Yzak," Dearka said to himself. He sighed as he left the bathroom and gave the main room a final look over, even glancing up at the ceiling. He tapped a finger to his earpiece. "Dearka here. No sign of Yzak in his quarters. I'm going to meet Tains in my own quarters."

"Understood, Major." The usually eager feminine voice seemed distant and sad. Dearka ignored it before it could remind him of his own feelings. He pushed himself off the entrance doorway and drifted down the hall, pulling himself around the corner to reach his own quarters. His door was wide open when he got there. Inside, Tains was half-crouching, half-kneeling beside Dearka's bed amongst the strewn collection of dirty magazines. His gaze was set on the issue laid open atop Dearka's sheets. Dearka stood in the doorway and folded his arms.

"Tains?"

The technician jumped – literally – and bumped his head against the ceiling thanks to the low gravity.

"Ow! Oh, sorry, Sir. I was trying to inspect under your bed but I was… distracted." Tains looked away, pink tinging his cheeks.

Dearka opened his mouth to scold Tains, but a voice in his ear cut him off.

"Sir, authorised entry into Commander Jule's quarters!"

Dearka whirled around and launched himself from his doorway. By the time Tains reached the Major's side, Dearka was already standing in the open doorway of the Commander's quarters. His eyes were wide as he stepped inside.

Set out neatly beside the files on the workstation, were Yzak's gun and personal access card.


	2. MIA

_DISCLAIMER: If they _were _mine, then Yzak and Dearka would have an entire Gundam Seed series dedicated to them. BANDAI has that privilege._

* * *

**Phase 02: MIA**

It had been three days since Yzak was declared MIA. The Voltaire had been towed back to PLANT, its crew kept under heavy surveillance and confined to temporary quarters – a bathroom and a slat for a bed. After two full days of solitude, Dearka was woken at the rise of PLANT's artificial sun on the third day, by two armed guards in green ZAFT uniforms. They dragged him out of bed, barely giving him a moment to dress in uniform before escorting the yawning Dearka down the halls and around the twists of the containment facility.

It seemed like half an hour had passed when they finally stopped in front of a steel door, an old-fashioned one with a handle. One of the guards gave two sharp knocks, his fist producing a hollow clang. The door opened inwards and Dearka was shoved inside. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Have a seat," said a man in a business suit. His arm was extended to the wooden table in the center of the room, his outstretched hand gripping a leather folder. Dearka took a chair at the table, but couldn't pull it in as it was bolted to the floor. He also noticed that he sat facing a large mirror.

"Why am I being interrogated?" he demanded.

The suited man placed his folder on the table as he sat down, and offered his right hand to Dearka. "I'm Rexlain Harris," he said. "And this is all procedure, I assure you."

Dearka ignored the offered hand, glaring instead past Harris and towards the mirror. "Yeah well I've been through enough interrogations to know what the hell one is."

"This isn't an attack on you, or your previous actions," replied Harris. "We're questioning everybody who was aboard the Voltaire."

"Whatever. Just get on with it."

Harris opened his folder. "Please state your name, rank, and current assignment."

"Dearka Elthman, Major, Jule Squadron. Second in command of the Voltaire." Dearka continued to gaze through Harris, but spoke in a clear tone.

"And your commanding officer?"

"Yzak Jule," Dearka growled, his glare shifting to Harris, "who we should be out there trying to find."

Harris ignored the implication. "Where were you when Commander Jule's quarters were breached with his own access card?"

"In my room." Dearka's voice had returned to normal. He hoped the sooner the interview was done, the sooner he could be out there looking for Yzak.

"Tains said you never came to your room."

"Maybe because he didn't want to share the fact that he was on his knees ogling my contraband porn when I got to the door." Harris glanced up from his notes to look at Dearka with a raised eyebrow. Dearka cut in by adding, "Yeah, I know the rules, but right now admitting to my porn collection is a hell of a lot better than being stuck in here getting accused of abducting my best friend!"

"That's right, you've spent a lot of time with Commander Jule, haven't you," Harris continued, without so much as a waver in his voice. "You met back at the academy if I'm not mistaken."

Dearka rolled his eyes and flopped back in his chair. "Yeah, yeah. Can I go do something useful now? Like looking for my Commander instead of being couped up in this shit hole!"

"Would you like to explain why you're the only other crewmember with full access to Commander Jule's quarters?"

Dearka paused, but then smirked lazily at Harris. "He's got exclusive access to mine too, you know."

"Why, so you can sneak into each other's quarters when no one's looking? Enjoy your porn collection together, alone?"

Dearka's fist slammed down on the table. "We don't have that kind of relationship, you sicko!"

Harris countered his retort with ease. "Then exactly what kind of relationship do you have with Commander Jule?"

Dearka looked away, his face creased in a thoughtful frown, and Harris couldn't help but to add, "Or perhaps should I say, what kind of relationship do you wish you had?"

Dearka jumped up and was set to launch at Harris, when the door swung open. A guard Dearka hadn't seen before strode in and held up an envelope. "I have orders to escort Major Elthman to the Council," he announced.

Harris took the envelope, pulled out the letter from inside and skimmed over its message. Dearka stood frozen on the spot, his anger turning to curiosity as he stared at Harris. The interrogator sighed, dropped the paper into his folder and closed it.

"Fine, take him," he said.

The guard turned to Dearka. "This way, Sir. We have a vehicle standing by."

Dearka didn't need a second invitation. He leapt in behind the guard and was led out of the room, out of the containment facility. In the parking area he noticed other members of the Voltaire crew piling into various luxury cars, each with their own driver. Dearka was brought to a white limousine, a jug of cold water and a chilled glass waiting for him as he slid into the plush interior.

The limousine pulled out of its space and glided towards the facility's main gates. He noticed that most of the vehicles before him were turning right, when he knew for a fact that the Council Chambers were about ten miles in the other direction. As he suspected, his limousine turned left.

"They've been set free, Sir," said his escort who sat across from him, as though detecting Dearka's confusion. "However, your presence has been requested at the Council."

"By who?"

"Chairperson Lacus, Sir."

_This should be interesting,_ Dearka thought, gazing out at the passing scenery with a smile.

* * *

Upon arriving at the Council building Dearka was escorted past the Council Chambers and up three floors to the private rooms. Disembarking from the elevator, Dearka's escort swiped an access card through the lock of the only door in sight. He opened it to reveal a hallway lined on one side with a series of doors, and on the other side with a long glass window, which looked out on to the main city.

Dearka followed his escort to the second door along the hall. The escort knocked twice. A muffled "Come in," called from inside. It wasn't the soft melody of Lacus, but Dearka was sure he recognised the voice. The door slid open and the escort motioned for Dearka to enter. The door slid closed behind Dearka, as he stepped inside and gazed around the room. It was luxurious in its smooth furnishings and design, but no bigger than the living quarters of a ZAFT high commander.

"Hey Dearka. It's been a while," said Kira Yamato, stepping from the en suite bathroom as he fastened the black collar of his uniform. He smiled warmly, genuinely happy to see an old friend.

Instead of the kind greeting he was expecting in return, his sudden appearance had struck a chord with Dearka. As soon as Kira had stepped out of the bathroom, Dearka had broke into a fit of spluttering giggles, which he had been trying to stifle. Once Kira spoke however, Dearka was gone, doubling over in laughter. Kira frowned.

"Sorry," Dearka finally replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "You're the funniest thing I've seen in days. Look at the front of your uniform."

Kira looked down and realized that he'd missed a clasp but had continued fastening the front of his white ZAFT jacket. The result was a bunched up uniform that looked like it was being twisted and wrung. Kira sighed and gripped the troubled clasp that was taking the place of the one he'd missed. No matter how much he pulled at it though, it wouldn't undo. Dearka broke into another giggling fit.

"Here, let me," he said, approaching Kira and reaching for the clasp.

"I don't get it," said Kira, "I could do the red one by myself just fine."

With a quick twist of Dearka's fingers, the hook was magically undone. He undid the one above it with the same ease.

"Woah!" Kira uttered with wide eyes.

"The white uniform has a different design to the red one," said Dearka, who was having trouble with the top clasp. "Apparently this style hides the clasps better. They're not so noticeable with the other uniforms, but they were really obvious in the white, so they changed it."

The top catch slid apart under his fingers. Dearka tugged the edges of the collar, pulling it flat against the back of Kira's neck. He continued down the front of he jacket, tugging the edges until the jacket hugged against Kira's back. He then returned to the clasp just below the collar and fastened it.

"This jacket's too big for you," he mumbled, as he fastened the clasps in a steady, downward succession.

"You sure know a lot about this," Kira noted with a smile, "for someone who wears a black uniform."

Dearka's hands froze. His eyes remained lowered, his head bowed slightly. Kira reached for Dearka's forehead and smoothed down the edges of the gauze that covered his wound.

"How's you head?" asked Kira.

"It's alright," Dearka mumbled, fastening the final clasp. "There. Done."

Kira spoke in a soft but clear voice. "We're going after him."

Dearka's face whipped up, his wide eyes locking with Kira's. Kira just kept smiling at Dearka.

"Lacus called this meeting so she could arrange to send some of us to find Yzak," said Kira.

Dearka looked away and shook his head. "We have ships scattered everywhere. ZAFT doesn't have the resources to chase after one soldier."

"You underestimate the power your friend holds. With his abduction comes a very strong threat to PLANT security."

"I don't think they'll buy it," Dearka muttered.

Kira laid a hand on his shoulder. "We're about to convince them otherwise. Let's go."

"Go where?"

"You and I are escorting Lacus to the Council Chambers," replied Kira, as he strode to the door. Dearka was too dumbstruck to move.

"Come on," Kira called from the open doorway. "If we're late, then they'll never listen to us!"

Dearka snapped out of his daze. He whirled around and hurried to join Kira.

"You might want to do up your collar," Kira whispered to him, as they strode to the elevator. Dearka hurriedly fastened his collar and straightened his black and grey uniform, brushing down the front with the back of his hand. The elevator doors closed them in.

* * *

Chairperson Lacus Clyne, in her elaborate black and pink council robe, took the stand. "As you are aware, High Commander Yzak Jule, a valued and loyal member of the ZAFT military, was abducted in combat three days ago," she said, her voice resounding throughout the chamber. "We have reason to believe that he is still alive and is being held prisoner by the enemy."

"Based on what information?" asked Tad Elthman from the far end of the table. Ezaria Jule, seated at his side, glanced at him. Dearka, seated a distance behind Lacus, glared across the room at him. The question was expected, but not from his own father and not in that tone.

"ZAFT scouts detected the enemy mother ship near the battle area where Commander Jule was abducted," offered Kira, stepping up beside Lacus. "Reports say it escaped to a nearby moon and has been in hiding there ever since. They may have even set up a base of operations on the moon's surface."

"All the more reason not to send anyone," said Elthman, earning glares from both Dearka and Ezaria.

"That's a trap if ever I heard one," added another member of the Council, sitting across from Elthman.

"We don't have ships or crew to spare anyway," a female member echoed the sentiments of her peers. The room was filled with hums of agreement.

"I'll go," said Kira, raising his voice above them all.

Lacus elaborated. "I propose that Commander Kira Yamato take the Eternal and its current crew to assess the situation. Major Dearka Elthman will head the investigation. Any reports made will be sent directly to both myself and Council Member Ezaria Jule."

"What about Orb?" piped the female member. "Won't they have something to say about this?"

"Orb has been informed of the current situation, as they are also involved," said Lacus, her voice neutral, her manner maintaining its usual politeness. "They have offered to send a representative if it is decided for this mission to continue."

The chambers erupted in a chorus of whispers.

Dearka smiled to himself. _Clever girl,_ he thought. _Not only has she sent off every political inconvenience in PLANT, she's even covered the delicate issue with Orb. Actually, she's strengthened the bond._

The chatter died down and the other council members looked towards Tad Elthman.

"Chairperson Clyne, " he addressed, in his strongest voice, "the Council has decided to agree with your method of action, on the condition that no ZAFT resources other than those you have proposed here, be used for this mission."

"Agreed," said Lacus. "The Eternal will leave at 0900 tomorrow morning. Meeting dismissed."

Dearka and Kira rose and saluted, as the council members gathered their documents and proceeded out of the chambers. Dearka's eyes caught Ezaria's when she neared him. It was the first time he'd ever seen her look uncertain – she even seemed slightly forlorn. She gave Dearka a solemn bow of her head, which he and Kira both returned.

Behind Ezaria was Tad Elthman. He dipped his head before giving Dearka the "You'd better come back alive" look, which had become customary between them since Dearka's first disappearance.

Dearka smiled half-jokingly, half-reassuringly as he returned the gesture with a slight nod. Kira offered another solemn bow.

* * *

It was dark inside the chamber. The only light came from above, glaring down over him. His eyes tried to focus, but fatigue caused his vision to blur over and over.

_"The subject is conscious."_

_"Keep him drugged – we can't have him escaping."_

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"How long before the results?"_

_"Unknown – he's stronger than we thought."_

Yzak groaned aloud as he struggled against his binds to no avail. He screwed his eyes shut, hoping to silence the voices.

_"Major Dearka Elthman will head the investigation. Any reports made will be sent directly to both myself and Council Member Ezaria Jule."_

He opened his eyes in surprise. That voice. It was some kind of outside broadcast.

Sweat trickled down his forehead, blinding him as it leaked into his eyes. He blinked furiously, trying to get it out. Frustrated, Yzak shrieked the only word that still had any meaning.

"Dearka!"

* * *

Dearka bolted upright in his bed.

"Yzak?" He glanced frantically around the room, but his dark quarters were empty. Dearka frowned and looked toward the bedside table. The clock's glowing digits read 05:45.

Cursing, Dearka threw off his blankets, stripped, and locked himself in the bathroom. It felt good as he stepped under the shower's hot stream. He rubbed at his hair vigorously, washing out gel he hadn't even put in. Realizing this, he stopped and stared at the pale blue tiles of the wall.

"Where the hell are you, Yzak?" he mumbled through the trickles that ran down his face.

* * *

Dearka had spent the past hour daydreaming as he gazed at the Eternal through the window of the observation deck. The lounge area around him had grown steadily crowded since he'd arrived, but there was still some time before the crew would be allowed to board.

With the crew avoiding him, Dearka had been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when someone did finally approach him.

"Dearka Elthman up before eight? Somebody pinch me, hard!"

Recognising the mellow voice, Dearka half-turned to greet the speaker.

"Athrun Zala back on PLANT?" he retorted with a smirk. "Somebody slap me, hard!"

"I got here last night," replied Athrun, settling himself beside Dearka at the observation window. "Officially, I'm Orb's representative, here to make sure we're kept in the loop."

"And unofficially?" Dearka queried, with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person he'd want out there looking for him, but the truth is I can't leave this alone any more than you can. I don't want to see anything happen to him either."

"Attention, all waiting crew. This is Commander Kira Yamato," Kira's voice, still so much like a child's, called over the sound system. "The Eternal is now ready for boarding."

Dearka looked up at the loudspeaker with a puzzled expression, as people began filing out of the observation area.

"Now I've been in ZAFT long enough to know that the Commander's not supposed to do that," said Dearka, he and Athrun falling in line. Athrun laughed.

"That's Kira, personality over rules."

* * *

Inside the Eternal, Dearka tossed his standard issue bag on his bunk with barely a glance around the room before heading towards the bridge. Athrun, whose quarters were next door, had to hurry to keep up with Dearka. They reached the lift and entered in silence. It stopped once midway at the request of the other passengers who stepped out, leaving Athrun and Dearka alone.

"I saw the feed from your interview," said Athrun, breaking the eerie quiet between them.

"Interrogation more like it," Dearka mumbled, barely surfacing from his thoughts.

"Anyway," Athrun continued slowly, "there was something I wanted to ask you."

At first, Dearka didn't reply, and with his back facing Athrun, Athrun wasn't sure Dearka had even heard him. He started thinking of how to reword his question.

"And?" Dearka prompted.

"Well, I was kind of curious about the last question. You didn't really answer it."

"What question?" Dearka had turned to face him now, which only made Athrun look away to avoid meeting his gaze.

"Why," Athrun drawled, "do you have access to Yzak's quarters? I know we were all on the same team once, and I know you're as close as Kira and I are. But-"

"But what?" Dearka's expression remained calm and serious, his eyes constantly on Athrun. Shaking off his discomfort, Athrun looked straight at Dearka.

"I know how strict Yzak is on the rules. He almost shot you once because of them. It's against ZAFT rules for a subordinate to have that kind of access. Why would he give it to you?"

Dearka shrugged. "For the same reason he didn't shoot me I guess, and before you even start going down that path, Commander or not, Yzak is my best friend above anything else."

The conversation halted as the lift stopped and its doors parted to reveal the bridge. Dearka launched himself out, Athrun right behind him.

Kira spun around in the command chair, greeting them both with a nod and a smile as they settled either side of him. They both nodded in return. Kira swung the chair back to the front, the smile fading as his expression turned serious.

"Prepare for launch," he ordered.

"All systems are green. Igniting thrusters," a technician announced from her station.

Outside, the docking clamps unlocked with a hiss, and withdrew from the pink hull.

"Docking arms clear," continued Andrew Waltfield from the lower bridge. "Ready for launch."

"Eternal, launch!" called Kira.

The engines roared, propelling the ship forward with jets of blue flame. With a shudder, the Eternal pulled away from the docking station and drove towards the stars.

"Display all information we have on the target's current whereabouts." At Kira's command, surveillance feed of the enemy's mother ship, cowering behind a system moon, appeared on the main viewer.

_Hold on, Yzak,_ Dearka thought, _We're coming._


End file.
